Chapter 7: Barriers and Marginalization in Female Teacher Leadership

Female leadership is cracking the “glass ceiling” of public school leadership, and indeed, has broken the ceiling of principal leadership. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2009), 54% of principals and assistant principals in public schools are females. Yet despite the increasing numbers of female leaders, challenges to successful female leadership remain. In this chapter we discuss barriers and aspects of marginalization related to female teacher leaders through a review of the professional literature and examples of contemporary female teachers who have established themselves as leaders.

As accountability and standardized testing has increased, teacher leadership has been touted as one way to improve test scores (Knight, 2007; Mangin & Stoelinga, 2008; Marshall & Ward, 2004; Randi & Zeichner, 2004; Smylie, 2008). While teachers have been blamed for problems in schools, they are also being looked to for solutions (Smylie, Miretzky, & Konkol, 2004). Leadership models are emerging that call for principals to empower teachers to become leaders within the system (Mayo, 2002; Moller & Pankake, 2006), so that teachers can influence policy rather than be impacted by it. Danielson (2007) defined several ways teacher leaders can reach out to others with policies and programs, teaching and learning, and communication and community relations. However, administrative leaders in education are implementing reforms in their schools without questioning the “meaning, implications, and quandaries of equity and social justice” (Marshall & Ward, 2004, p. 531). The bottom line for most administrators is meeting the acceptable cut scores established by their states rather than with issues of social justice. Educational policy encourages student achievement but does so in ways that maintain the status quo and rarely affect the “way it’s always been done” attitude pervasive in most school systems (Marshall & Ward, 2004).